Audits are our chance to play the bold TV drama diagnostician who always finds the cure against all odds and saves the day for an endearing patient. Except our patients are websites and the remedies are measured in visits or online sales or donations. Different, but brilliant diagnosing nonetheless.

All of that excitement and passion is not without downsides. Audits are really difficult. Like a doctor meeting a patient for the first time, SEO analysts must start from scratch, gather what limited information is available, and quickly treat pain points — and clients expect immediate results.

This article outlines how to start an SEO audit in a way that positions the project and its SEO for success. Most of this process can be tailored to the client, but one piece is essential:

Rule: SEO AUDITS START WITH A MEETING

Like our favorite TV doctor, we need to meet the patient. This does not require a face-to-face appointment, but it does require some time to talk. Set aside 60 minutes, take out your notepad and prepare to interview the client. It’s time to diagnose a website.

Questions for Starting an SEO Audit

My questions are divided into three groups: the future (goals) of the website, its current state and a historical review. Each part plays a specific role, including the order.

Future

Every audit project is fostered from a desired outcome — think optimization, recovery or expansion — so it is best to begin with the goals that will dictate scope and deliverables. I ask clients to begin with broad marketing goals and work their way toward specific SEO items. Here are some sample questions to guide the conversation.

What are the organization’s primary marketing goals for the next 12-18 months?

Are there additional online marketing goals?

How would the organization like its website to support those goals?

Are there specific SEO goals or metrics for success?

This portion should help the auditor understand the purpose of the SEO project and where the client would like to be after it. The conversation can then transition into how to reach those goals from where they are currently.

Present

Current marketing practices and investments can reveal the inner workings and intentions of the organization. Do they have a blog? Who contributes? Do they spend money on advertising? Who manages the social media? This inside information adds perspective to the SEO audit and its recommendations. There is no use prescribing a content calendar if it would only gain dust.

Identifying competitors can be the best way to learn about the industry and opportunities to advance within it.

CMS and organizational limitations determine the potential of any SEO project. Those Drupal dynamic pages might be a dead end or the home page copy was constructed with red tape. All of these things are good to know in advance.

Past

Old SEO work is important to understand for two reasons. First, it might be the problem that they are trying to resolve. Knowing that a company hired a cheap link building service saves lots of time and uncomfortable questions during the project. Second, it is essential for judging potential return on their investment. If the organization has invested heavily in SEO and seen little results, there might be a better channel for their marketing dollars.

Major website changes are the source of many SEO audits. Redesign -> catastrophic traffic drop -> SEO audit. It lessens the load on your heart if you know about the crash before seeing it for the first time in Google Analytics.

Most Important SEO Audit Question

My first journalism professor (and each subsequent one) told us that the last question of every interview is, Is there anything else I should know? The same is true with SEO audits. Always ask if anything was missed. Then rephrase the question and ask it again. Some of the most valuable information can be discovered in the final minute of an audit discussion.

Andrew Garberson is the Director of the Digital Marketing Strategy department. He has led digital marketing efforts in a variety of settings, including agency, entrepreneurial and nonprofit environments, and has master's degrees in business administration and mass communications. An Iowan at heart and Pittsburgher in spirit, Andrew commutes on his 10-speed most days between March and December -- after all, he's only human.

Great post Andrew! I couldn’t agree more that getting a full download of all work performed by previous SEO agencies is a must. I find it valuable to ask the client to send us all deliverables, link building reports etc. at the beginning of a campaign. We’ll use these to help identify any organic traffic issues and to act as a resource if a manual action is in place and link removal is needed.